Summary
This Nature Reviews article synthesises the global literature on grassland degradation—a major but under-recognised threat to soil health, biodiversity and food security. The authors examine the multifactorial drivers (including overgrazing, agricultural conversion, climate change, and fire suppression) and consequences for ecosystem services, and propose evidence-based restoration and management strategies. The review integrates insights from temperate, tropical and arid grasslands, suggesting that context-specific, multidisciplinary approaches are essential to reverse degradation trends.
UK applicability
UK grasslands, particularly upland and semi-natural pastures, face similar pressures from intensification, abandonment, and climate change. The review's emphasis on soil carbon, biodiversity restoration and adaptive grazing management is relevant to UK policy priorities around nature recovery and carbon sequestration on agricultural land.
Key measures
Grassland area lost, biodiversity metrics, soil health indicators, productivity measures, carbon storage, ecosystem service provision
Outcomes reported
The paper synthesises evidence on the drivers and impacts of grassland degradation worldwide, and reviews restoration and management approaches. It examines the ecological, agronomic and socio-economic dimensions of grassland loss and degradation across diverse regions and land-use contexts.
Topic tags
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